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A Brief History of the Fae
Ancient Times & the Age of Heroes Unknown - At the very dawn of the world, primordial creatures of darkness known as the Fomorians were born of humanity's fear and banality, and posed a threat to everything. They were opposed by beings of light and hope, known by most European fae as the Tuatha de Danaan. These are the first of the Kithain, and these champions of made war against the Fomorians to protect the world and all living things from the tyranny of the Fomorians. This became known as the Tessarakonta, or War of Trees. Unknown - The Tuatha de Danaan bind the Fomorians for all eternity and banish their minions & allies to the Nightmare Realms, the way back barred by the Silver Ban. The Tuatha de Danaan then leave three Sacred Oaths to guide the fae and protect from the return of the Fomorians before disappearing into the Dreaming, never to be seen or heard from again. Circa 2200 to 2000 B.C.E. to 1230 C.E. - The Sundering; The full course of it ran nearly three millennia, but that initial blast ripped magic out of the world, parting the Dreaming from the mundane permanently. Faeries began to use Changelings as spies and tools for learning. Some were children of dalliances with mortals, others were babies exchanged (i.e. stolen) by the fae. Fae discovered that mortal flesh could act as a shield against the new threat of omnipresent banality, and so some of the true-fae cloaked their souls within magical copies of human bodies when venturing out into the Autumn Realm; these early dabblings with mortality would eventually lead to the creation of the Changeling Way (wherein a fae soul is born in the flesh of a mortal child, awakens after it matures, and then passes on to the next life when the flesh expires). After the Sundering & through Antiquity 1215 - The beginning of the War of the Courts, overt conflict between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts. 1347 - The Black Plague reaches Europe. Nearly a quarter of the population dies over the following decades. 1348 - First sightings of the Plagued Host in the Near Dreaming: dark, corrupted Fae creatures bent on terrorizing Far and Mortal alike. Their numbers and ferocity would grow steadily over the years to follow. 1351 - High King Oberon, Leader of the Seelie Court, is slain alongside his Queen and counsel in an attack by the Plagued Host. His shield and horn, the emblems of his rule, are lost in the fighting. 1351 - Sidhe of both Courts begin to flee to Arcadia to avoid plague and warfare. 1354 - The signing of the Samhain Compact; in the Sidhe's absence, newly risen Commoner leaders of the Seelie and Unseelie Courts negotiate an end of the War of the Courts. 1371 - Spring, Naples France, the last recorded sighting of the Plagued Host in Europe. Major Events around (& since) the Resurgence 1775 - A militia of Massachusetts colonists defeated British royal army forces at the battle of Concord, triggering the chain of events that led to the Continental Congress issuing the Declaration of Independence the next year, and over eight years of war. 1776, March - The Resurgence- the Sidhe return en masse throughout Europe and North America, as well as accompanying a swell of the Faerie population. 1776 - 1778 - The expansion of Sidhe noble territorial claims across Europe and into the Americas causes increased tensions and international travel among European Kithain. Historic rivalries between different noble houses and between the Seelie and Unseelie Courts result in growing turmoil among Faerie communities. Some Commoner fae declare allegiance to nobles, while a sizeable minority actively resist the returning Sidhe. Among the Sidhe, pacts and allegiances between local Freehold rulers grow into larger systems of feudal vassal hierarchies. Many attempts by Sidhe to claim established Freeholds as their own are met with active resistance by their Commoner residents. 1778, October second - Johanna Lockhart, a 13-year-old Sidhe, undergoes a Saining ritual and is afterward taken on as a ladies maid to Countess Catharina d'Asturias in Barcelona. 1780, Beltane - the Night of Iron Knives; Many of the most diplomatic Noble leaders from across Europe gather outside Orléans, France for a summit to hear out grievances from Commoner petitioners and pursue negotiations to ease the class tensions and formalize relations between the fledgling Kingdoms forming cross Europe. The dignitaries are ambushed at and around the gathering by Commoner rebels. In the event, a large number of the Sidhe diplomats gathered are murdered with Iron weapons. The public outrage among Sidhe across the Western world fuels a further escalation of violence. 1780 - 1785 - The Accordance Wars; a series of campaigns fought in Europe and North America, primarily between those loyal to Sidhe Nobility and rebellious Commoners attempting to throw off their rule. 1782 - Johanna Lockhart, in care of her godfather (Caleb Longe-Frost, Troll of house Gwydion), flees the continent back to her family's home in Wales. 1783, March - The Siege of Whiteberry; many civilians from Seelie Noble houses across Britain gather at the Whiteberry Gardens freehold in the Kingdom of Holly & Yew to seek safety. It had been a harsh winter of warfare, and many falsely believed that the Commoner rebels of the area had been subdued, whereas they actually held the Freehold under siege. Johanna Lockhart is part of a group of young civilians cut off from their protectors by a Redcap war-party during an ambush. Johanna discovers the lost horn of Oberon and uses it to summon help to save her comrades, an event many Nobles viewed to be in accordance with a prophecy of the rise of a new High Monarch. 1784 - With help of Johanna and Caleb Longe-Frost, the king and queen of the two largest kingdoms of England negotiate peace with their respective commoner folk, followed shortly by a marriage that unites a kingdom that spans the mortal lands of Ireland and Scotland: the Kingdom of Oakenkirke. 1785 - the King of the Kingdom of Holly & Yew publicly acknowledges Johanna as the heir apparent of High King Oberon, destined high-queen of all Faerie. Johanna begins to gain support among commoner Kiths due to her egalitarian politics; namely, she argues for a constitutional monarchy and the formation of a Parliament that would give Commoners a direct voice in government. 1785 - 1788 - Monarchs of 9 other kingdoms follow suit in recognizing her as Oberon’s heir, culminating in her coronation in May of 1788 as Johanna Lockhart ap Gwydion, High Queen of Concordia. 1788, March 4th - High Queen Johanna of Concordia, and leaders of the various other Kingdoms of Europe and America, sign the Accordance Treaty. This brings an end to formal hostilities between the remaining kingdoms, and the first official session of the Parliament of Dreams. Recent Events Notable Mortal Affairs